The Vance County Board of Commissioners will meet Monday, Apr. 20 at 4 p.m. for a special called meeting before its planned work session.
According to the notification, the purpose of the meeting is to consider and take action on a rezoning request that the board, at its Apr. 6 regular monthly meeting, voted to continue.
The rezoning request is for a 40-acre tract along U.S. Hwy. 158 Business west of Henderson, for which the planning board had recommended approval. The zoning would change from EIA – Employment Institutional Area – to LI – Light Industrial.
At the Apr. 6 meeting, about 20 people spoke during the public hearing about the rezoning request; most were not in favor of the rezoning request, and two people spoke in favor.
By state statute, the board of commissioners must have a public comment period during at least one of its monthly meetings. This is a time when the public can address the board on any topic, Vance County Attorney Jonathan Care said.
In the case of the Apr. 6 meeting, Care explained, “There was a public comment period which was not restricted to the rezoning, and then there was a public hearing that was for the rezoning, and the public was restricted to that topic, but you were allowed to speak during both periods. So we had a public comment period and then a public hearing.”
Chair Carolyn Faines opened the public hearing on the rezoning and that’s when residents came to the podium one at the time to address the commissioners.
Care said there is no requirement for another public comment period this month, “and there is not a requirement to have a public hearing at every meeting a rezoning is going to be discussed.”
The public is welcome to attend the meeting, but there is no scheduled public comment or public hearing included on the agenda.
The meeting and following work session will be available on the county’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUMNYAAhyvKx5leijt5K6Q.